Pandora
“Of all the threats humanity’s faced so far, Pandora are by far the worse. Scavengers are just a bunch of desperate wannabes struggling to survive, Vargr used to be normal people that turned into bloodthirsty monsters against their will, the Sentinels were only programmed to destroy potential threats to the system, animals are just...well...animals, really. And sure, the Sword of Entropy was pretty shitty, but I guess they just wanted to do what they thought was best for Arcanes and the Azuran people, the Church of Apollyon was just a bunch of nutjobs who ALSO thought what they doing was right, despite how *horribly* misguided they were, Raven Eye wanted to take matters and justice into their own hands, and WIP. Meanwhile, the Pandora only want to kill everyone who lives, infest any place they can and eat as much Ether as possible. They’re a menace and a world-ending threat, nothing more, nothing less.”-Ray Amaterasu about the Pandora. ”The most intriguing aspect of the Pandora is their sheer abnormality. They are not of Ether, they can function without basic needs such as food, drink and oxygen, and they are composed entirely of Nether and whatever substances that emerge from it, meaning by all counts they should not be alive, but they move and behave as they are. The only logical conclusion is that they are some form of undead: not truly alive nor truly dead.”-Arnold Richtovskey about the Pandora. The Pandora are a race of Nether-based life-forms that are found throughout the Empyrean System and originate from a mysterious eldritch dimension known only as The Abyss. They seem to have connections to the Precursors, are enemies with the Azurans, and are the primary universal antagonists of Elysian Knights. Appearance Pandora can take on a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from humanoid monstrosities to animalistic abominations, or perhaps something even more horrific. Their hides are mainly black (sometimes dark grey) with some very dark green in the mix and glowing green eyes. They emit an aura of black particles. Instead of dark green, Alphas and Omegas are mostly black with dark teal and dark purple respectively. Angels are very similar to Azuran species in appearance, but with pale skin, visible black veins, black scleras with white pupils that can be a different color depending on the Angel, and wings and a halo over their heads, both made of nether. Physiology The Pandora lack any internal organs present in most living creatures, and can live without needing to eat, drink, sleep, or anything non-Pandora require. They also do not age and have corrosive black blood. At the center of their chests (or other spots for some species) is a soul-like orb of Nether known as a phylactery. This phylactery all Pandora have allows them to regenerate from virtually anything unless it is destroyed. Also don’t have any genitalia. Naming Conventions Each species of Pandora (excluding Alphas, Omegas and Angels) is named after a noun with negative connotations (also includes nouns that have/can have both a neutral AND a negative connotation and synonyms of said noun). Not a verb, adjective or adverb, but a noun. Proper nouns and occupational nouns are normally excluded, yet Alphas, Omegas and Angels can *still* be named after the former. One species of Pandora cannot have multiple names. Each species has their own unique name. Behavior All Pandora share the insatiable hunger for the essence known as Ether, which can be found all over the Empyrean System. They regularly flock to locations with high amounts of Ether to consume it and infest places devoid of any humans. They will also actively hunt down and kill living beings for their souls as they contain Ether. They also appear to function as a sort of hive mind with many examples throughout history. Most species of Pandora will roar, screech or shriek at their enemies before attacking, despite there not being a known reason for doing so. A rather curious trait is that Pandora will infest abandoned Precursor structures or even destroy them on some occasions. They are also extremely hostile to Precursor Sentinels, attacking and destroying them on sights despite there being no particular reason to do so. Whenever a commanding type of Pandora (Alpha, Major or Angel) is in danger, numerous other non-commanding will immediately swarm to that commanding Pandora’s position to protect them, regardless of where that particular Pandora is located. This behavior is consistent with many observations of Pandora defending commanding members of their species, even, in some cases, sacrificing themselves for them. Powers & Abilities All Pandora emit an invisible aura that drains the life out of every non-animal or sapient organism, destroys microbes and physically weakens non-Pandora humanoids and animals. Their presence also disables electricity, shuts off light sources and exceptionally large numbers of Pandora can cause gravitational distortions and the formation of necromite crystals and nether fissures. They can also poison water with nether on mere contact. All Pandora also have the ability to absorb nearly limitless amounts of ether and the souls of people they have killed. When they have absorbed a sufficient amount, they will either mutate into a different (and stronger) Pandora species or multiply. When a Pandora has not absorbed any ether for a signifigant amount of time, they will submerge into the ground and fall into a motionless, unconscious, coma-like state and will only wake up if any sources of ether are nearby. Pandora can also travel to different locations via “breaches”, which are space-time rifts of pure nether which can appear as either cracks or swirling discs. Individual species of Pandora can also have abilities unique to them, such as nether manipulation, fire breath, mind control and more. All Pandora are also incapable of feeling pain. Pandora can also sense the nearby souls of living beings, and can even “see” them when close enough to a target. They also have the ability to smell fear. As stated above in the Physiology section, Pandora have corrosive, nether-infused pitch-black blood with highly corrosive properties and the ability to regenerate from anything and reform completely even if nothing of their bodies remains. They have phylacteries, souls of nether which can be found within their chests. (In most cases) If the phylactery is destroyed, the Pandora will disintegrate and melt into a puddle of their own blood and will not be able to regenerate no matter what. Pandora can also be temporarily incapacitated if the phylactery is simply damaged. One curious thing is that when a Pandora dies, a bellflower will grow from their remains. It is unknown as to how or why this happens. Types of Pandora Different species of Pandora are also categorized into different types/classifications. Spawn-Type Spawn-Types are the weakest and most common of the Pandora, often seen on the front lines during Pandora attacks. Most of them follow a pack mentality and are incapable of sentient or intelligent thought, motivated only by pure, simple-minded instinct. Spawns can take on a wide variety of forms and can have a wide variety of abilities. The 7 most common of the Spawn-Type Pandora are Wrath, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Pride, Lust and Sloth. Elite-Type Pandora that are significantly stronger and less common than Spawns. Most take on a humanoid shape, (though there are exceptions) and some are even capable of summoning weaponry made of nether. They have some basic levels of intelligence and operate mainly in small groups, but otherwise are still as aggressive as Spawns. The most common Elites are Slaughter, Murder, Execution, Assassination, Voracity, Homicide and Anguish. Siege-Type Siege-Type Pandora are far bigger and more durable than both Spawns and Elites, and are highly aggressive and destructive. Some species can have special abilities, but most just use their brute strength. Rage are the most common Siege-Types. Major-Type Majors act as the commanders of Pandora hordes. They are far more intelligent and powerful than Spawns, Elites and Siege Pandora, and have the ability to communicate telepathically with other members of their species. Majors are rarely seen on the battlefield, and when they do appear are usually accompanied by less-powerful types of Pandora rather than other Majors. Majors are usually named after words such as Cruelty, Villainy, Sin, Vice, Evil, Malevolence, etc. Goliath-Type Goliath-Type Pandora are towering monstrosities, much more enormous in height than even Siege-Types and unable to be controlled by Majors. They are the size of tall buildings or bigger, and some species have even known to take the form of ships and spawn weaker Pandora. Their phylacteries are a massive amalgam of smaller phylacteries, and they are nigh-invincible. Goliaths have only ever been seen in large Blight Zones, sections of the Abyss and major wars. Alpha-Type Alpha-Type Pandora (also known as Devil-Type) are the supreme commanders of the entire Pandora species, having a distinct black and blue coloration rather than black and green like normal Pandora. They are capable of commanding even Majors and Goliaths, and have remarkable intelligence surpassing that of even Majors, showing even distinct characteristics and personalities. Unlike all other kinds of Pandora, Alphas are not separated into different species as each one is different than the other, each with their own unique appearance and abilities. Alphas are capable of creating subsections of the Abyss for a base of operations, and can create Pandora from thin air. They can also emit limitless amounts of Nether, reanimate their victims into zombies, teleport and even have some psionic powers, and their life-draining auras are far more powerful, being able to instantly kill not just plants, microbes and fungi, but also animals and non-Arcanes within miles. Unlike Goliaths, Alphas do not appear in Blight Zones and are rarely seen in the Abyss, only making an appearance in massive wars or deep in their Abyssal lairs. Most Alphas also have multiple phylacteries. The presence of a single Alpha along is also enough to cause major gravity distortions, disable all electronics, large necromite deposits and nether fissures to form and all water to turn black with poison across miles. Thankfully, their appearance is always heralded by the sky turning a deep blue clouds turning pitch black and a huge black orb appearing where they’re going to be a few minutes or hours before they actually arrive, giving enough time for the area to be evacuated while some of the toughest and most powerful Arcanes in Athena Blade repel the beast. Alphas are named after proper nouns unlike regular Pandora, such as Mjolnir, Abeloth, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Fafnir, Agares, etc. They usually follow a naming theme of demons, monsters from myth or folklore, evil rulers or malevolent deities. Omega-Type Omegas are the rarest and most atypical of all Pandora. They are black and purple and like Alphas are not divided into different species and are named after proper nouns. They cannot command other Pandora and cannot even communicate with them through any means. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Omegas is that they are fully sentient and not ruled by the instinct to consume all life and ether like all other Pandora. They also have distinct personalities, and even possess the ability to speak. As stated above, Omega-Type Pandora are EXTREMELY rare in nature, and it is unknown as to how they come to be. Only three Omegas in history have ever been recorded. Enigma-Type The Enigma-Type classification is simply for Pandora that do not fit in any other category, or have not been observed enough for sufficient data to be acquired to place them in another category. Vermin-Type Sometimes this classification is merged with Spawn-Type, sometimes it’s a sub-category of Spawn-Type, other times it‘s its own category. The Vermin-Type classification is for Pandora that are very small and weak but numerous in numbers. Servile Pandora Servile Pandora are not true Pandora. They do not possess phylacteries and do not have a lot of the abilities normal Pandora have, such as portal creation, corrosive blood, ether absorption, regeneration, etc. not even names. Servile Pandora do not appear naturally, and instead can only be spawned by certain species of Pandora, most commonly Siege-Types. Servile Pandora that are summoned by certain Alphas are known as Betas, and can command lesser species of Pandora such as Majors, Elites, Spawns, etc. Betas also have a distinct blue-green color. Angels *CLASSIFIED* Obyriths *CLASSIFIED* Blight Zones Blight Zones are areas in the Empyrean System that have become infested with Pandora, rendering them inhospitable deadzones. Plants, microbes and even animals cannot survive in Blight Zones, and humans can barely even breathe. When Blight Zones become big enough, they will begin to slowly expand across the landscape, increasing the size and range of the zone as formations known as Nurseries will form from necromite crystals, which will spawn in new Pandora without limit. The most curious thing is that a mysterious gemstone known as a Shard of Ruin will also form deep within the earth in the center of the Blight Zone, and will begin to grow, increasing in size and power as the surrounding Pandora will defend it with their very lives. REDACTED. History (WIP) Long ago, before the dawn of humanity on the planet Azura, there were a race of powerful cosmic beings made of Nether known as the Malbolge. These demons were the first life to ever be born in the universe, and by then they were the ''only ''life in it. They feasted on the substance known as Ether, drawing power from it as they used their power to forge worlds, suns, moons, stars and even galaxies. But power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Malbolge were especially corrupted by their own, due to the fact that they were Nether-based life-forms, and Nether was the very manifestation of darkness, destruction, negativity and sin. The beings fought each other over what to do with the universe they created, and soon there was not a single Malebolge left due to the chaos. The battle was so great about 70% of the cosmos was destroyed with them. Meanwhile in some part of the universe that ''wasn’t ''totally destroyed, there was a humungous swirling mass of stardust, energy, plasma, interstellar gas and Ether which would come to be known as the Empyrean. This Empyrean was actually a massive wormhole, one which led to the home micro-universe of the Precursors in their realm of Calamandra. The Precursors had incredibly advanced technology and with it had created hundreds of worlds which orbited the wormhole, each one teeming with its own unique form of life. One day, a wayward fragment of a Malebolge’s soul entered the system and passed through the wormhole, smashing into a large city of Calamandra and completely obliterating it. It the destroyed city’s place, a gigantic void formed where the fragment rested at the bottom, and out from the void emerged a horde of dark creatures which fed on Ether to multiply. These were the very first Pandora. Trivia * They take inspiration from the Grimm from RWBY, as well as a bit of the Hive from the Destiny franchise and the Honkai from Honkai Impact 3. * The Angels, however, take heavy inspiration from the Herrschers from Honkai Impact 3. * The Pandora went through many revisions and had many different names before eventually becoming the Pandora. * They also take inspiration from a scrapped race I had known as the Twisted. * The abilities unique to specific Angels are known as Commandments. 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